Prophetic action has a way of unsettling the devout. What does the crucifixion and resurrection teach us, however, if not that God will always surprise (and upset) us? How, then, should we answer those who question us while about the Lord’s work? A Lutheran pastor and catechist, Johann Spangenberg (1484–1550) published the Postilla Teütsch, a…

When a group of manual laborers publicly criticize the authorities, you know they are either mad or else they have discovered a truth whose power they respect and worship as greater than those authorities. But such defiance comes at a cost, so one should choose one’s worship wisely. The English Annotations, first published in 1645,…

Johann Spangenberg (1484–1550), a Lutheran pastor, authored one of the best selling postils1 of the sixteenth century, the Postilla Teütsch, which helped to prepare children to understand the lectionary readings. In this post on Luke 5:1-11 for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Spangenberg asserts that Christ’s words penetrated the hearts of the disciples—not merely their…